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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. kid — child
  15. current — electric
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitcher — a jug

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