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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. track — a path
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. game — a match
  7. race — humankind
  8. track — a song
  9. content — the amount
  10. track — to keep track
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. race — a contest
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. race — the arms race
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. game — wild animals
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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