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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. content — the amount
  3. staff — a stick
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — a series
  6. content — happy
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. row — a line
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. last — finally
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — electric
  18. bank — of a river
  19. current — of water
  20. bank — for money
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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