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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. clip — for paper
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. court — for sport
  10. current — of water
  11. suit — in cards
  12. current — electric
  13. roll — a cake
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — happening now
  16. suit — to fit
  17. content — the amount
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rash — a series
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. suit — clothes
  23. content — happy
  24. rash — on the skin

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