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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spell — magic
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spell — a short time
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. current — electric
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — a box
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — letters
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stand — to bear
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wound — an injury

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