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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 120 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.

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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: kick · track · pitch · net · mine · can · current · content

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. current — happening now
  19. track — a song
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. can — to be able to

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