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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. content — happy
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — to get on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — in cards
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. current — electric
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — help
  19. current — happening now
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a committee
  22. current — of water
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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