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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. board — to get on
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pit — in a race
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rest — a break
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cell — in biology
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ball — a dance

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