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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · straw · fan · current · mark · jam · rest · pit

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rest — a break
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. current — electric
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mark — a grade
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. season — of the year
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — in sport
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. jam — a tight spot

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