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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — a break
  4. current — of water
  5. kid — child
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — a box
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. current — electric
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rest — what's left
  24. roll — a list

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