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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: cold · pass · season · rule · can · net · current · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. current — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — in sport
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — in sport
  7. rule — a law
  8. pass — a permit
  9. can — to be able to
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — of the year
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rule — government
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — happening now
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — electric
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. pop — soda
  24. pass — to succeed

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