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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kid — child
  5. ball — a great time
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — electric
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. lean — to bend
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lean — thin

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