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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. current — electric
  3. cap — a lid
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. current — happening now
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. current — of water
  24. bat — for baseball

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