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

Word bank: ruler · perch · pass · bat · wake · kid · content · current

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pass — a permit
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. current — of water
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. current — electric
  8. content — the amount
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — happening now
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wake — before a funeral

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