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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · content · last · row · current · deal · hide · season

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — of the year
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — electric
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — of water
  19. deal — to handle
  20. last — finally
  21. row — a line
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. deal — a big deal

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