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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 124 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: current · cabinet · jam · net · can · pop · fall · mouse

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. current — happening now
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. current — electric
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — to drop
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fall — the season
  14. pop — soda
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. current — of water
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. can — a tin
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. net — after costs

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