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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pop — to visit
  3. current — of water
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — electric
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. content — happy
  18. current — happening now
  19. content — the amount
  20. cap — a hat
  21. present — there
  22. fall — the season
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cap — a lid

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