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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. suit — in cards
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kid — child
  9. current — of water
  10. chip — for betting
  11. current — electric
  12. ground — crushed
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ground — a position
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — to keep track
  24. suit — clothes

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