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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kid — child
  3. spell — a short time
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — magic
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fall — the season
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — a series
  24. bass — low music

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