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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · racket · mine · chair · current · sharp · stock · scale

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — happening now
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — after costs
  15. current — of water
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chair — a leader
  18. current — electric
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com