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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spell — letters
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spell — magic
  12. chair — a leader
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. kid — child
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. current — electric
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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