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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rest — a break
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ground — a position
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — hurry
  15. net — after costs
  16. spring — of water
  17. snap — to click
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. season — of the year
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — in sport

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