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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. content — the amount
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — electric
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bear — the animal
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — of water
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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