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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. current — electric
  6. kick — in football
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. current — happening now
  10. bark — to shout
  11. object — an aim
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stand — to bear
  16. current — of water
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. chair — a leader
  24. kick — with a leg

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