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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. fine — high quality
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — for sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. current — of water
  12. field — farmland
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — a subject
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. season — in sport
  18. wake — a trail

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