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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. season — of the year
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. chest — of your body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — a box
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. perch — the fish
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — electric
  23. file — a line of people
  24. season — in sport

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