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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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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: rule · wave · pop · spell · ground · pitch · season · current

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. season — in sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. current — of water
  6. ground — a position
  7. spell — letters
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — a law
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pop — music
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — the earth
  20. current — electric
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. current — happening now
  24. season — to add flavour

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