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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — happening now
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rash — a series
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. field — a subject
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. field — for sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. current — of water

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