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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pop — music
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. foot — a measure
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. current — of water
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — happy
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. land — ground

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