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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. key — the most important part
  7. roll — a cake
  8. face — to confront
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. current — happening now
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. key — in music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. content — the amount
  18. current — electric
  19. face — to point toward
  20. content — happy
  21. roll — a list
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. face — part of the head
  24. content — videos and posts

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