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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. current — happening now
  3. spell — letters
  4. season — of the year
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spell — a short time
  14. current — electric
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spell — magic
  17. fine — all right
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. current — of water
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bore — gave birth

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