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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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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. current — electric
  4. season — in sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. root — the cause
  10. bass — low music
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. capital — money
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. root — of a plant
  20. current — happening now
  21. content — the amount
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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