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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mark — a trace
  3. present — there
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. season — in sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — of a king
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — of water
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. current — electric
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. court — of law
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — for sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. present — the time now

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