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

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. current — happening now
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. current — of water
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. current — electric
  19. field — a subject
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — farmland

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