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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. content — happy
  3. scale — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — the amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. bore — to tire
  11. band — a music group
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. current — of water
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. roll — a list
  16. current — electric
  17. bore — to drill
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. roll — a cake
  22. scale — size or range
  23. current — happening now
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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