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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
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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: content · kid · ground · current · fine · chair · band · bark

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ground — crushed
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — electric
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. band — a music group
  11. ground — the earth
  12. current — happening now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fine — high quality
  15. content — happy
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — of water
  23. content — the amount
  24. fine — all right

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