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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pop — music
  4. content — happy
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — in sport
  8. current — of water
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. content — the amount
  11. pop — to visit
  12. last — to go on
  13. net — for catching
  14. current — happening now
  15. lean — thin
  16. last — final
  17. current — electric
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. net — after costs
  24. lean — to bend

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