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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — tied together
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — certain
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — happening now
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. current — of water
  23. spring — of water
  24. kid — to tease

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