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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. season — of the year
  4. file — a document
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — electric
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. file — a tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — high quality
  21. current — of water
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wave — with your hand

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