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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · content · mark · race · bound · roll · ground · current

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. current — of water
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. content — happy
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ground — crushed
  7. firm — decided
  8. ground — a position
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mark — a trace
  11. content — the amount
  12. bound — certain
  13. ground — the earth
  14. firm — a company
  15. race — a contest
  16. current — electric
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. roll — a list
  19. firm — steady
  20. race — humankind
  21. bound — obliged
  22. current — happening now
  23. bound — tied together
  24. race — the arms race

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