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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cap — a lid
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — letters
  7. kid — child
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — electric
  13. swing — music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chip — for betting
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — magic

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