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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — happy
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. current — electric
  8. board — to get on
  9. kid — child
  10. content — the amount
  11. drill — the tool
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — to tease
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — army training
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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