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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. clip — for paper
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — the amount
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — electric
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. content — happy
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tube — a container
  16. clip — a video
  17. current — happening now
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fall — the season
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — videos and posts

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