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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: rock · content · fine · bulb · march · rule · cold · current

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — music
  4. rule — government
  5. current — happening now
  6. content — the amount
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rule — a law
  10. cold — not warm
  11. content — happy
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fine — all right
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cold — an illness
  18. current — electric
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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