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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. swing — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. current — happening now
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — a trail
  8. object — an aim
  9. swing — to play on
  10. current — electric
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — to push
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. object — a thing
  19. press — a publisher
  20. current — of water
  21. bass — low music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bass — the fish

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