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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pass — a permit
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — electric
  11. content — happy
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. file — a document
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. clip — a video
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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