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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — a gift
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — a series
  8. pop — music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — of water
  12. season — in sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — there
  21. pop — soda
  22. kid — child
  23. mine — for digging
  24. present — the time now

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