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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rush — hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mine — for digging
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — in sport
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. firm — decided
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — a position
  21. current — electric
  22. pit — in a race
  23. firm — steady
  24. ground — the earth

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