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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. field — farmland
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rest — a break
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. current — of water
  22. field — for sport
  23. current — electric
  24. kid — to tease

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