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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — a short time
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. game — wild animals
  20. current — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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