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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. current — happening now
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. season — in sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. snap — to click
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — of water
  21. spell — magic
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a trace

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