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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. current — of water
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. date — the fruit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cap — a hat
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. current — electric
  17. season — of the year
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. craft — boats
  22. current — happening now
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. craft — a handicraft

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