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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — a lid
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — final
  6. content — happy
  7. season — in sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

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