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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. current — electric
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. current — of water
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kid — child
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. staff — a stick
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — an illness
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — a horse colour

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