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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. current — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — final
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pound — a weight
  8. last — finally
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — happening now
  11. face — part of the head
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — in a race
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cell — a phone
  24. current — electric

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