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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. current — happening now
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. roll — a list
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — electric
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a great time
  22. roll — a cake
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. roll — on a roll

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