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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: bulb · mug · content · rock · pit · current · scale · march

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — a hole
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. current — of water
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. content — happy
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. content — the amount
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. current — electric
  22. pit — in a race
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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