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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 had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. content — the amount
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — letters
  18. cap — a lid
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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