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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. shower — to wash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. current — happening now
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — child
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. shower — rain
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lash — to lash out

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