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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. current — happening now
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. current — electric
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. content — the amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — of water
  20. content — happy
  21. march — music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — on your feet
  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