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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. current — of water
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. spring — the season
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — electric
  8. pass — a permit
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — goods
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stock — shares

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