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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. key — for a lock
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bound — certain
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — to be able to
  15. key — the most important part
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. key — in music
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — crushed
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. current — electric

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