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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. face — to point toward
  7. staff — employees
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. current — happening now
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. face — to confront
  16. current — electric
  17. perch — the fish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — the amount
  23. stock — goods
  24. perch — for a bird

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