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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — farmland
  5. current — electric
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mate — a partner
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. current — happening now
  16. cap — a hat
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pop — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — of the year

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