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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — electric
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. roll — a list
  8. chair — a leader
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. land — ground
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. hand — in cards
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — help
  22. key — for a lock
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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