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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kid — to tease
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — child
  9. roll — a cake
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — electric
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. current — happening now
  16. club — for golf
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bank — of a river
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — a group
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. game — wild animals

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