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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — of water
  6. rest — a break
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. content — the amount
  11. current — happening now
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. last — final
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bore — to tire
  20. content — happy
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. current — electric

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