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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. face — to confront
  3. current — electric
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. face — to point toward
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bank — of a river
  11. degree — from a university
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — a match
  17. degree — an amount
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — happening now
  23. season — in sport
  24. current — of water

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