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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. charge — in control
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. last — finally
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — goods
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stock — shares
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. current — of water
  15. charge — a price
  16. pitch — completely
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. swing — music
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rash — a series
  23. current — happening now
  24. charge — electricity

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