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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. last — finally
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — of water
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mark — a grade
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. last — to go on
  13. mark — a trace
  14. object — an aim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — the earth
  19. content — the amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. object — a thing
  22. ground — a position
  23. current — electric
  24. content — happy

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