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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — electric
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. season — in sport
  11. mark — a trace
  12. club — for golf
  13. rest — a break
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a line
  17. mark — a grade
  18. current — of water
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. club — a group
  22. rest — what's left
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — moving air

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