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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. cell — in biology
  7. last — final
  8. squash — the sport
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stem — to come from
  12. current — electric
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — of the year
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — to go on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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