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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitch — completely
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. current — happening now
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — electric
  22. branch — a division
  23. current — of water
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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