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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: current · face · bore · sharp · mine · ball · cue · content

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a dance
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ball — a great time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. content — happy
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cue — a signal
  19. content — the amount
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. current — electric
  23. face — to confront
  24. bore — gave birth

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