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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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Word bank
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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: bear · pop · drill · bay · pit · current · last · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pit — a hole
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. current — electric
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pop — soda
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. current — happening now
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. content — the amount
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. last — final
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. current — of water

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