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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 · mouse · sharp · current · stick · bat · spring · object

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. current — of water
  11. object — a thing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. content — happy
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spring — the season
  19. current — electric
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. current — happening now
  23. content — the amount
  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