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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — to paddle
  3. race — the arms race
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — a line
  8. date — the fruit
  9. current — electric
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — a contest
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. current — of water
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — to bear
  21. band — a ring
  22. race — humankind
  23. current — happening now
  24. band — a rubber band

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