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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — the tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. current — happening now
  6. content — happy
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. snap — to click
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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