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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. current — electric
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pop — soda
  13. current — of water
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — happening now
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. hand — help

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