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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 116 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. current — electric
  4. wind — moving air
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. current — of water
  11. pop — soda
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pop — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. vault — a safe
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. content — happy
  19. fall — the season
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — to visit

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