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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. current — of water
  6. kid — child
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mug — a face
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — happening now
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — of the year
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kid — to tease
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a match

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