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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. content — the amount
  3. bass — the fish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. current — happening now
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. current — of water
  15. content — happy
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bass — low music
  19. current — electric
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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