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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bank — for money
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — happening now
  9. scale — size or range
  10. current — electric
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — the amount
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bank — for money
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. content — happy
  24. cabinet — ministers

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