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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. current — electric
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. band — a music group
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — the month
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. net — after costs
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. net — for catching
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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