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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mine — for digging
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pop — to visit
  10. face — to confront
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — happening now
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. face — to point toward
  17. current — electric
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wake — a trail
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. current — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

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