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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. game — a match
  3. bound — certain
  4. staff — a stick
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — to sink
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — child
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lean — to bend
  13. current — happening now
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lean — thin
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — of water
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. game — a kind of play

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