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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — happening now
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. file — a document
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. staff — employees
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — for digging
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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