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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a tool
  4. content — happy
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stem — to come from
  9. current — electric
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. current — happening now
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a line of people
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. current — of water
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. track — a path
  24. content — the amount

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