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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. current — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — the amount
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. last — finally
  17. object — a thing
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — final
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. content — happy
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — in an idiom

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