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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: current · kid · suit · fan · tear · ruler · bat · pit

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — happening now
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. kid — child
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pit — a hole
  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