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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spell — a short time
  3. game — a match
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lean — to bend
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lean — thin
  13. spell — letters
  14. current — electric
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — wild animals
  18. content — the amount
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. march — music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. march — the month

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