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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. file — a document
  5. club — for golf
  6. mate — a partner
  7. current — electric
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — of the year
  14. present — a gift
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. club — a group
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. present — there
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. file — a 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