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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — completely
  8. current — electric
  9. land — ground
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. row — a line
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. current — of water
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. row — a quarrel

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