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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. season — in sport
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. current — of water
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bound — tied together
  13. season — of the year
  14. current — electric
  15. shower — rain
  16. current — happening now
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — certain
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bound — obliged

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