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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. capital — money
  3. season — in sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. current — happening now
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a hole
  8. plane — a tool
  9. season — of the year
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — a division
  12. object — to protest
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. object — a thing
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — of ice
  21. object — an aim
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. current — electric
  24. capital — a city

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