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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: current · bank · game · cold · foot · season · racket · scale

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. foot — a measure
  4. scale — in music
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — for money
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. scale — size or range
  19. current — of water
  20. bank — of a river
  21. current — electric
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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