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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.

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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. 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. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — in cards
  5. current — electric
  6. face — part of the head
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to confront
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — to sink
  13. face — to point toward
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — happy

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