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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rash — hasty
  6. current — electric
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. swing — to play on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — happy
  24. current — happening now

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