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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. current — electric
  3. season — in sport
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. squash — to crush
  6. current — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. season — of the year
  9. kid — child
  10. land — ground
  11. stand — to bear
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — a country
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in biology
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. kid — to tease
  23. current — happening now
  24. prune — to trim

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