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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. content — the amount
  5. current — of water
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — in football
  11. current — electric
  12. bass — the fish
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. current — happening now
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rush — to hurry

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