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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — of water
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. current — happening now
  10. bear — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. current — electric
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. season — of the year

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