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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — a song
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spell — letters
  11. kid — to tease
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mate — to breed
  15. track — a path
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — magic
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. spell — a short time
  20. march — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. track — to keep track
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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