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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: mug · content · cell · race · cue · land · current · face

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. race — humankind
  3. cue — a hint
  4. current — of water
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — happy
  8. land — to come down
  9. mug — a face
  10. race — the arms race
  11. face — to confront
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. content — the amount
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. race — a contest
  17. cell — a phone
  18. current — electric
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. face — to point toward
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. face — part of the head

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