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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — in sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — of the year
  6. current — happening now
  7. tear — from crying
  8. march — music
  9. current — electric
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cold — not warm
  15. march — the month
  16. current — of water
  17. press — to push
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. press — a publisher
  24. safe — a strongbox

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