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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. current — of water
  7. season — in sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. swing — to play on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — a city
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. current — happening now
  21. swing — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — for light

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