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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. season — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — a leader
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. current — electric
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. snap — to click
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. current — happening now
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bank — of a river

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