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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. current — electric
  6. kid — child
  7. current — of water
  8. fine — all right
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — to tease
  14. deal — to handle
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — happening now
  21. race — humankind
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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