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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — a coil
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — happy
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. current — electric
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spring — the season
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. current — of water
  19. content — the amount
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pass — to spend time

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