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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. current — of water
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. current — happening now
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rash — hasty
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. deal — to handle
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a song
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. track — a path
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — a series
  21. content — happy
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — the amount
  24. current — electric

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