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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — the season
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cap — a hat
  13. current — of water
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mark — a trace
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. squash — the sport

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