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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. season — of the year
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — happening now
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. kid — child
  18. current — electric

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