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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — the amount
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. band — a ring
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — happening now
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — clever
  15. current — electric
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. band — a music group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. drill — army training
  24. content — happy

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