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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. current — happening now
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kid — child
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. kid — to tease
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. current — of water
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spell — a short time
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a word
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stand — for spectators

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