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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — electric
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — a subject
  7. current — happening now
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. field — for sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a great time
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ball — a dance
  22. net — in sport
  23. current — of water
  24. leaves — lets stay

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