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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. content — happy
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. object — a thing
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — happening now
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. object — an aim
  16. branch — a division
  17. charge — a price
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. charge — in control
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ball — a great time

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