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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. row — a line
  3. ground — a position
  4. mate — a partner
  5. roll — a cake
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. roll — a list
  9. current — electric
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — hasty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rash — a series
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. season — of the year

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