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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. current — of water
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. content — the amount
  11. season — in sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — a line
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mate — a friend
  18. season — of the year
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — happy
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — electric
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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