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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. land — a country
  3. current — electric
  4. content — the amount
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — to sink
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — happening now
  12. bear — the animal
  13. current — of water
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bear — the animal
  16. content — happy
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — a coil
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. dip — a sauce

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