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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — of water
  4. mark — a grade
  5. current — electric
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. current — happening now
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. content — happy
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mark — a trace

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