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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. current — of water
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. branch — a division
  9. present — a gift
  10. content — happy
  11. present — there
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — a match
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rock — a stone
  16. last — to go on
  17. present — the time now
  18. rock — music
  19. current — happening now
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. current — electric

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