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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitch — completely
  3. current — electric
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. can — to be able to
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — a song
  13. current — happening now
  14. track — a path
  15. current — of water
  16. can — a tin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. clip — a video
  20. track — to keep track
  21. can — a tin
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — child
  24. clip — to cut

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