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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. current — electric
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kid — child
  12. current — happening now
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. present — there
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ball — a dance
  20. current — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. chest — a box

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