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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. cap — of ice
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. spell — letters
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. perch — the fish
  10. current — happening now
  11. cap — a lid
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spell — magic
  21. face — part of the head
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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