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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: cell · season · deal · hand · mug · kid · current · mine

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. kid — to tease
  4. current — electric
  5. season — in sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hand — help
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. mug — a face
  16. kid — child
  17. current — of water
  18. mug — to rob
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mug — a cup
  24. season — to add flavour

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