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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. kid — child
  9. current — happening now
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. toast — bread
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. current — of water
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. jam — a tight spot

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