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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — a lid
  3. content — happy
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spring — a coil
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. season — in sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — a container
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. current — of water
  24. spring — the season

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