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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. present — the time now
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rush — hurry
  7. content — the amount
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cold — an illness
  10. current — happening now
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — happy
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chair — a leader
  16. current — of water
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. current — electric
  19. present — there
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — a gift
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. roll — a cake
  24. lean — thin

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