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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — to handle
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. current — electric
  8. kid — child
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. current — happening now
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hand — help
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  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