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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. current — of water
  3. present — the time now
  4. capital — money
  5. present — there
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kick — in football
  11. current — electric
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. present — a gift
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. current — happening now
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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