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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — high quality
  7. degree — temperature
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — happening now
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. degree — from a university
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. current — electric
  24. racket — for tennis

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