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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bat — the animal
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. current — electric
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. current — of water
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wax — to grow
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. season — of the year
  24. bear — the animal

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