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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. land — ground
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — a measure
  7. land — a country
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — happening now
  13. kid — to tease
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kid — child
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. can — a tin
  24. temple — a place of worship

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