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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — letters
  16. net — for catching
  17. spell — magic
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kid — child
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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