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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. current — happening now
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. season — in sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mug — a face
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — clever
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. season — of the year
  20. mug — a cup
  21. current — of water
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. current — electric
  24. saw — the tool

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