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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. current — electric
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — happening now
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cell — in biology
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. content — happy
  15. key — in music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rash — a series
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cell — a phone
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — a position
  24. key — for a lock

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