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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bank — of a river
  4. kid — to tease
  5. last — final
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — size or range
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — child
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — happening now
  16. dip — to sink
  17. face — to confront
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. last — finally
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. last — to go on

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