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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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 — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tube — a container
  5. kid — child
  6. track — a song
  7. content — happy
  8. last — to go on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — happening now
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. kid — to tease
  19. content — the amount
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bass — low music
  23. track — a path
  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