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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. pit — a hole
  5. current — happening now
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. current — electric
  16. kid — child
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stand — for spectators

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