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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. current — happening now
  3. dip — to sink
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. degree — an amount
  8. current — of water
  9. kid — child
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. face — part of the head
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pass — a permit
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. current — electric

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