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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tube — the underground
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — of water
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. swing — in golf
  19. roll — a cake
  20. squash — to crush
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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