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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. current — electric
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bore — to drill
  13. court — of law
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. file — a document
  23. ground — a position
  24. bore — gave birth

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