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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — a series
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — a position
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — a gift
  10. field — a subject
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. field — farmland
  13. present — there
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — the earth
  16. present — the time now
  17. current — electric
  18. ground — crushed
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. field — for sport
  24. current — happening now

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