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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. current — of water
  5. rule — government
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. current — electric
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rule — a law

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