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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rash — a series
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — a partner
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. current — happening now
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fan — to cool the air

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