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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 · cell · mark · kick · craft · mate · current · cold

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — a grade
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. kick — in football
  13. current — electric
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. craft — boats
  17. cold — not warm
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — happening now
  21. mark — a trace
  22. season — in sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. current — of water

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