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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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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: field · roll · scale · kid · file · stick · current · arm

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. scale — in music
  4. roll — a list
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. current — electric
  10. scale — size or range
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — child
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — to tease
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. current — of water
  23. field — farmland
  24. arm — a part of something

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