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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. current — of water
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — electric
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pop — soda
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — the season
  17. wake — a trail
  18. kid — child
  19. pop — to visit
  20. plane — a tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. spring — a coil
  24. hide — animal skin

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