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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — a path
  7. perch — the fish
  8. current — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — to go on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — of the year
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — in sport
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. track — a song
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. current — electric
  24. season — to add flavour

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