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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. stand — to bear
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wax — to grow
  20. current — electric
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. current — of water
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. date — on the calendar

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