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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. clip — a video
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. current — electric
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. rash — a series
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rash — hasty
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mouse — for a computer

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