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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. ball — a dance
  4. track — a path
  5. cold — not warm
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a ring
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. current — electric
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. track — a song
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ball — a great time
  22. track — to keep track
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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