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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. current — of water
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. current — electric
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to confront
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. deal — to handle
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. last — finally
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — in sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bass — low music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — of the year
  23. last — final
  24. bass — the fish

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