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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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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: bowl · season · racket · current · mate · cell · fine · pass

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — of the year
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mate — to breed
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mate — a friend
  23. current — of water
  24. fine — all right

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