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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. current — electric
  3. face — to point toward
  4. firm — steady
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. current — happening now
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — child
  17. firm — a company
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. degree — from a university
  21. firm — decided
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — part of the head
  24. degree — an amount

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