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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. content — the amount
  3. current — of water
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. face — part of the head
  8. content — happy
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. face — to confront
  14. current — happening now
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — employees
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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