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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. current — of water
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. current — electric
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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