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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. current — happening now
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. kid — child
  13. current — electric
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. spell — a short time
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. current — of water

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