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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. content — happy
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — electric
  9. swing — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lie — to recline
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — the amount
  24. kid — child

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