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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · fan · pitcher · content · current · kid · cabinet · wind

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — of water
  4. content — happy
  5. current — electric
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. content — the amount
  17. board — to get on
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — child
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cabinet — ministers

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