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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — in sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. current — electric
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pop — soda
  10. current — happening now
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. current — of water
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. season — of the year
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — music

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