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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — electric
  4. field — farmland
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pop — soda
  7. present — the time now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — of water
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. present — there
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. field — for sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. present — a gift
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — for pool
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — in an idiom

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