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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — to breed
  6. roll — a cake
  7. current — electric
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — happening now
  10. roll — a list
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. kid — child
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — final
  19. current — of water
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — to tease

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