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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. content — happy
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kid — child
  13. content — the amount
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mug — a cup
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. current — electric
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. sharp — clever

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