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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — happy
  11. current — of water
  12. stock — goods
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spring — of water
  21. content — the amount
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stock — shares
  24. sharp — clever

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