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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — for sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. field — a subject
  11. track — a song
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. rock — music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — farmland
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rock — a stone
  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