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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: content · drill · deal · pop · date · current · roll · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pop — to visit
  3. current — electric
  4. pop — soda
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. drill — army training
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — happening now
  11. content — the amount
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. current — of water
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. roll — a list
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pop — music
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

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