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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. drill — a practice
  4. current — of water
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. current — happening now
  14. content — the amount
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. current — electric
  23. drill — army training
  24. fan — a supporter

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