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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 116 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: current · kick · bat · sharp · content · file · dip · bore

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. kick — in football
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. content — happy
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. current — of water
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — for baseball

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