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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. current — electric
  6. spell — letters
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. race — a contest
  10. mate — a friend
  11. spell — a short time
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — of water
  19. race — humankind
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spell — magic
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bowl — to roll

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