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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. row — a line
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. row — to paddle
  11. board — to get on
  12. current — happening now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. season — of the year
  16. board — a committee
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — a leader
  19. season — in sport
  20. rush — hurry
  21. current — of water
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. game — wild animals

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