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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. present — a gift
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. race — humankind
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — the time now
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. kid — to tease
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stand — to bear
  15. present — there
  16. current — happening now
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — electric
  23. race — a contest
  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