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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: wake · current · bound · cue · rash · stick · content · sharp

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bound — certain
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — a series
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. current — electric
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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