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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. game — a match
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. roll — a cake
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — for digging
  8. current — happening now
  9. game — wild animals
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — in biology
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kid — child
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cell — a phone
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — electric
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kid — to tease

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