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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pit — a hole
  3. content — happy
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pit — in a race
  10. content — the amount
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kick — in football
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — electric
  18. cell — in biology
  19. current — of water
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. perch — the fish
  24. band — a music group

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