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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — of the year
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mate — a partner
  11. scale — in music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. current — happening now
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — a song
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — an injury
  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