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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — of the year
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. current — electric
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. season — in sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bowl — a dish

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