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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — magic
  6. content — happy
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — finally
  10. current — electric
  11. last — final
  12. firm — a company
  13. scale — size or range
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — in music
  18. current — of water
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — an injury

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