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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a match
  3. current — happening now
  4. club — for golf
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — wild animals
  11. club — for dancing
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — the time now
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. current — electric
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — of water
  21. present — there
  22. tube — a container
  23. present — a gift
  24. club — a group

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