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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — happy
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — electric
  9. march — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. current — of water
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. kid — to tease
  21. content — the amount
  22. spell — a short time
  23. current — happening now
  24. march — the month

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