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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. current — happening now
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — child
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — of water
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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