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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. plane — a tool
  5. capital — money
  6. current — of water
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. content — the amount
  11. suit — clothes
  12. season — in sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. current — electric
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. content — happy
  19. capital — a city
  20. season — of the year
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cell — in biology

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