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

Word bank: current · bay · racket · field · mouse · kid · snap · key

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. current — happening now
  3. field — a subject
  4. kid — child
  5. field — farmland
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. current — of water
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. key — for a lock
  19. snap — to click
  20. current — electric
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — for sport
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. key — in music

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