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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rash — hasty
  4. content — the amount
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. current — of water
  15. rash — a series
  16. current — happening now
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. content — happy
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — before a funeral

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