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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. current — electric
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — a committee
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. scale — in music
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — of the year
  21. current — happening now
  22. board — to get on
  23. current — of water
  24. bank — for money

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