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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — happening now
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. pop — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pop — soda
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. file — a tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — happy
  15. current — electric
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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