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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. can — a tin
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. roll — a list
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. spring — of water
  9. current — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spring — a coil
  13. can — to be able to
  14. current — happening now
  15. content — the amount
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. current — electric
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. mate — a partner
  24. can — a tin

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