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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. mug — a cup
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — electric
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pit — in a race
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a song
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — to rob
  19. kid — child
  20. current — of water
  21. race — the arms race
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — the tool

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