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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — of water
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. current — electric
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — in sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. current — happening now
  22. march — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. net — after costs

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