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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rock — a stone
  3. game — a match
  4. current — of water
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — electric
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rock — music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. content — the amount
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. current — happening now
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. firm — a company

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