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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — finally
  4. rock — music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mate — a partner
  11. last — to go on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rock — a stone
  15. current — of water
  16. season — in sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — final
  20. pit — a hole
  21. current — electric
  22. season — of the year
  23. current — happening now
  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