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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rash — a series
  23. squash — to crush
  24. current — of water

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