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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: saw · rash · ground · press · season · key · current · last

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. current — of water
  3. last — final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. key — the most important part
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — finally
  10. season — in sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — electric
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — a position
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — in music
  23. last — to go on
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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