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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pit — in a race
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — electric
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. current — happening now
  14. march — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. current — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — the earth
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — crushed

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