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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: shower · jam · spell · game · stick · kid · date · current

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — child
  4. current — happening now
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. game — wild animals
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — of water
  11. date — the fruit
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — a match
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. spell — letters
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — magic
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spell — a short time

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