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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. current — of water
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. current — happening now
  6. ball — a dance
  7. content — the amount
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rush — hurry
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. content — happy
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — electric
  24. key — in music

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