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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — child
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — of water
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kid — to tease
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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