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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. scale — in music
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. scale — size or range
  9. current — happening now
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pass — a permit
  21. current — electric
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — of the year
  24. pass — to succeed

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