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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. current — electric
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — money
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. current — of water
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — a city
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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