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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fine — all right
  3. kid — child
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. current — of water
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mug — a cup
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bat — the animal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. current — electric
  23. mug — a face
  24. current — happening now

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