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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. content — the amount
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a hole
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. current — electric
  12. content — happy
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. saw — the tool
  16. current — of water
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — magic
  19. current — happening now
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chest — a box
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. spell — letters

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