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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. net — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — a friend
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chair — a leader

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