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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kid — child
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — happening now
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — of water
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. saw — the tool

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