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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — of water
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. kid — child
  12. current — electric
  13. fine — all right
  14. pit — a hole
  15. current — happening now
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bound — certain
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — tied together

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