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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. current — happening now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — tied together
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — electric
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. current — of water
  13. last — finally
  14. cap — a hat
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — the season
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bound — obliged
  19. season — of the year
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bound — certain
  23. season — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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