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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.

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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. can — a tin
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the fish
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. season — in sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — happening now
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. season — to add flavour

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