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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. rash — a series
  8. current — of water
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — hurry
  11. content — the amount
  12. current — electric
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mark — a grade
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — final
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. content — happy

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