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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — to bend
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mate — a partner
  17. squash — to crush
  18. current — of water
  19. lean — thin
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rest — a break
  22. content — happy
  23. mate — to breed
  24. content — the amount

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