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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — electric
  5. key — the most important part
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — a series
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. kid — child
  14. current — of water
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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