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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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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: bay · lean · content · last · mark · cue · bowl · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — the amount
  4. current — electric
  5. cue — a signal
  6. last — final
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cue — a hint
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. current — happening now
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a trace
  24. lean — to rest against

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