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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spell — a short time
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — magic
  6. object — a thing
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — a cup
  11. content — the amount
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. game — a match
  15. fine — high quality
  16. current — of water
  17. object — an aim
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. object — to protest
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a kind of play

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