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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — electric
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — ground
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. land — to come down
  14. mate — a friend
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mate — to breed
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — a country

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