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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kid — to tease
  3. prune — to trim
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. current — electric
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chip — for betting
  8. track — to keep track
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. track — a song
  13. kid — child
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. season — in sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. current — happening now
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. track — a path
  24. chip — to eat

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