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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ground — the earth
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — a position
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. file — a line of people
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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