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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. scale — in music
  5. shower — rain
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — the sport
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — a grade
  11. kid — to tease
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. current — happening now
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mark — a trace
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. current — electric
  23. vault — a safe
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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