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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — in football
  4. rest — a break
  5. content — happy
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. current — happening now
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. court — of law
  11. content — the amount
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. date — the fruit
  16. court — for sport
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — electric
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. court — of a king
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kick — a thrill

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