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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — electric
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. file — a document
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a tool
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rock — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — happening now
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. current — of water
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. coach — a trainer

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