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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. content — the amount
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. content — happy
  5. current — of water
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — in music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — a container
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. current — happening now
  22. scale — size or range
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — a trainer

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