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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 116 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. file — a document
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — child
  14. current — electric
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. suit — to fit
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — for golf
  21. current — of water
  22. field — a subject
  23. suit — in cards
  24. kid — to tease

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