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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — a hint
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — a video
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cue — for pool
  16. content — happy
  17. dip — to sink
  18. date — the fruit
  19. content — the amount
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. current — of water
  23. clip — for paper
  24. straw — a straw man

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