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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 116 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. current — of water
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — happy
  7. wax — to grow
  8. current — electric
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. current — happening now
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bass — low music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rule — government
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rule — a law

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