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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. net — for catching
  5. current — of water
  6. net — after costs
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — child
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — electric
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a great time

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