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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — a container
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — the amount
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of law
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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