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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — happening now
  5. scale — size or range
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bank — of a river
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. game — a match
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — in music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. current — electric

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