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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · kid · mate · fine · field · pitcher · squash · fork

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. current — electric
  7. fine — all right
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — of water
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. current — happening now
  13. mate — a partner
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — for sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mate — a friend

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