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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: pit · leaves · rash · ground · calf · current · season · land

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — ground
  5. current — electric
  6. pit — a hole
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ground — crushed
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. land — to come down
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. current — of water
  16. season — in sport
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — a country
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — of the year
  22. current — happening now
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. calf — of the leg

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