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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fine — all right
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kid — child
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. snap — to click
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. current — electric
  24. wound — an injury

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