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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — wild animals
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — a hat
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. game — a match
  10. board — a committee
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tear — from crying
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bore — to tire
  15. kid — to tease
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. kid — child
  22. board — to get on
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a kind of play

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