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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. present — a gift
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — for paper
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. clip — to cut
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. toast — bread
  12. present — there
  13. season — of the year
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. staff — employees
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. present — the time now
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — electric
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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