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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — happening now
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — a cup
  11. kick — in football
  12. suit — to fit
  13. current — of water
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. suit — in cards
  24. net — for catching

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