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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. content — the amount
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cell — in biology
  18. deal — to handle
  19. current — electric
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rest — what's left
  23. content — happy
  24. current — happening now

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