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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. current — of water
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. roll — a list
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bound — obliged
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — to paddle
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. current — happening now
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bound — certain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. roll — a cake
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. current — electric
  21. row — a line
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — child

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