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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. track — a path
  3. bore — to tire
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. kid — to tease
  9. last — finally
  10. kid — child
  11. lean — to bend
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a match
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. current — of water
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. lean — thin
  24. bore — to drill

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