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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kid — child
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — bread
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. current — happening now
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pop — to visit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — rain
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pop — soda
  19. shower — to wash
  20. present — a gift
  21. wax — to grow
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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