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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — happening now
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pit — a hole
  17. current — electric
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. kick — in football
  24. stem — of a plant

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