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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — the month
  8. track — a song
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. march — music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. squash — to crush
  15. toast — bread
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. current — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. toast — the most admired

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