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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kid — child
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — happening now
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. current — electric
  11. rash — a series
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — of water
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. prune — to trim
  23. snap — to click
  24. prune — to trim

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