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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pit — in a race
  5. present — the time now
  6. current — happening now
  7. object — to protest
  8. current — of water
  9. object — a thing
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cell — a phone
  12. object — an aim
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. deal — to handle
  16. current — electric
  17. pit — a hole
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. present — a gift
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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