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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. court — for sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — a box
  14. current — of water
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. kid — child
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. last — final
  22. court — of a king
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — with your hand

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