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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — completely
  3. present — there
  4. rush — hurry
  5. current — happening now
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. present — the time now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. present — a gift
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. current — of water
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — to handle
  21. current — electric
  22. shower — to wash
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. shower — rain

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