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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kid — child
  3. march — the month
  4. present — the time now
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. present — a gift
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. present — there
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — music
  16. lean — thin
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a great time
  23. current — happening now
  24. mate — a partner

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