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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. suit — in cards
  4. current — electric
  5. content — happy
  6. current — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spring — the season
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. current — happening now
  16. march — music
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. suit — clothes

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