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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wake — a trail
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — happening now
  11. season — in sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. current — of water
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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