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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. suit — in cards
  3. season — in sport
  4. current — of water
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — to fit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — a song
  13. pop — music
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pop — to visit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. track — a path
  18. suit — clothes
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — electric
  24. field — farmland

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