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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: season · cap · current · pass · straw · ground · file · pound

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — crushed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — of the year
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. file — a tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. current — electric
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a document
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ground — a position
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pound — to hit hard

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