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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — magic
  3. current — electric
  4. spell — letters
  5. present — there
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — a gift
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a city
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. spell — a short time
  14. present — the time now
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — of water
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — a company
  23. current — happening now
  24. racket — for tennis

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