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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. current — electric
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spell — letters
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. current — of water
  12. ball — a great time
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kid — to tease
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — magic
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bore — to tire
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — child
  24. track — a path

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