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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — child
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. current — electric
  17. land — ground
  18. field — for sport
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kid — to tease
  22. land — a country
  23. field — farmland
  24. current — happening now

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