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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — the time now
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. present — there
  6. current — of water
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. present — a gift
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — happening now
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stock — goods
  15. cold — an illness
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stock — shares
  20. current — electric
  21. field — farmland
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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