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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. current — of water
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. firm — steady
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. current — electric
  7. firm — decided
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. capital — a city
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. capital — money
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — after costs
  17. firm — a company
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. net — in sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — for catching

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