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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · kid · current · coach · toast · fork · dip · fall

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fall — the season
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — of water
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — in a road
  14. toast — bread
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — to sink
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — a box
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. chest — of your body

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