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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cold — not warm
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. board — to get on
  12. season — of the year
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pit — a hole
  15. board — a committee
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pit — in a race
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. current — of water
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. current — happening now
  24. leaves — lets stay

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