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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 · current · trunk · bat · racket · wake · fine · march

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. content — the amount
  18. wake — a trail
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — the animal

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