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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. present — the time now
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. vault — a safe
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. present — a gift
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — a price
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. swing — in golf
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. kid — child
  17. present — there
  18. swing — music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. charge — in control
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. swing — to play on
  23. charge — electricity
  24. current — electric

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