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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bat — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. fine — all right
  6. suit — to fit
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — a series
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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