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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. current — electric
  3. kick — in football
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — happening now
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. current — of water
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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