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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — of water
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. current — electric
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. season — in sport
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. roll — a cake
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. row — to paddle
  23. roll — a list
  24. trunk — of a tree

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