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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — for digging
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cold — an illness
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. plane — a tool

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