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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bore — to drill
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — letters
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. current — of water
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. spell — magic
  24. bat — for baseball

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