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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. current — of water
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. season — of the year
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — of a plant
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fine — high quality
  14. content — happy
  15. root — of a word
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. current — happening now
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. content — the amount
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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