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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. land — a country
  5. rest — a break
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. field — a subject
  11. current — happening now
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — ground
  15. current — electric
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rock — music
  23. current — of water
  24. wound — an injury

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