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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. band — a music group
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — happening now
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a great time
  9. current — electric
  10. kid — child
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kid — to tease
  16. file — a tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. current — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. wound — an injury
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ball — a dance

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