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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — for pool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. season — of the year
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — happening now
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. current — of water
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cue — a signal
  23. current — electric
  24. wave — with your hand

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