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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. charge — in control
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a ring
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. season — of the year
  10. key — for a lock
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — happy
  13. charge — a price
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. charge — electricity
  17. content — the amount
  18. band — a music group
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. key — in music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — in sport
  23. current — electric
  24. racket — for tennis

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