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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — electric
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — not warm
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wake — a trail
  18. current — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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