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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: march · current · calf · rash · firm · jam · key · content

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. key — for a lock
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — happy
  6. rash — hasty
  7. firm — a company
  8. key — in music
  9. content — the amount
  10. current — happening now
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. firm — steady
  13. march — the month
  14. firm — decided
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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