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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. current — of water
  13. season — of the year
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — what's left
  19. current — electric
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — a series
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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