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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. present — there
  3. mine — for digging
  4. foot — a measure
  5. content — the amount
  6. present — a gift
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cue — a hint
  11. current — happening now
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — from a university
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cue — a signal
  19. content — happy
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — the bottom

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