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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. current — of water
  2. kid — child
  3. mark — a grade
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — the earth
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — electric
  10. mark — a trace
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. scale — size or range
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. row — a line
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — crushed
  20. row — to paddle
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. arm — part of the body
  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