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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. current — electric
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. current — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. content — happy
  11. chair — a leader
  12. track — a path
  13. squash — to crush
  14. spring — of water
  15. track — a song
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ball — a dance
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a round shape

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