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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fine — all right
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. present — a gift
  8. content — happy
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. face — to point toward
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. present — there
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. suit — clothes
  22. present — the time now
  23. current — electric
  24. mine — an explosive

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