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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. lean — thin
  4. kid — child
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. swing — music
  8. current — happening now
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lean — to bend
  14. swing — to play on
  15. current — electric
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. current — of water
  18. swing — in golf
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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