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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — for digging
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. current — of water
  12. mate — a partner
  13. track — a path
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. current — electric
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. band — a music group
  21. track — a song
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mate — a friend
  24. band — a ring

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