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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. content — the amount
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fine — high quality
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fine — all right
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bass — low music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — a trainer

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