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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bound — tied together
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — to cut
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — a video
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. current — electric
  24. content — the amount

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