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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — of water
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. rash — hasty
  6. field — a subject
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. field — farmland
  9. current — happening now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. current — electric
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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