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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. clip — to cut
  11. suit — to fit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. current — of water
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lean — to rest against

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