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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — to sink
  6. current — electric
  7. kid — child
  8. current — happening now
  9. squash — the sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. land — ground
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — to rob
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — to tease
  24. nail — on a finger

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