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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bound — obliged
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rule — a law
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bound — certain
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rule — government
  16. tear — from crying
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cue — a signal
  22. current — of water
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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