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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. march — the month
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rock — music
  11. game — a match
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spell — a short time
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. march — music
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. current — of water
  24. bear — to put up with

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