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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. charge — a price
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. current — electric
  11. pit — a hole
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cold — an illness
  15. march — music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cold — not warm
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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