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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ground — crushed
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. current — happening now
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — part of the head
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — in music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. current — of water
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ground — a position
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. face — to confront
  24. current — electric

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