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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. current — of water
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. sharp — clever
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — a grade
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. face — to confront
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. content — happy
  18. pop — soda
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rule — government
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rule — a law
  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