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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. staff — a stick
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. present — a gift
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — electric
  8. field — farmland
  9. court — of law
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. plane — a tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. court — of a king
  19. board — a committee
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — for sport
  22. toast — bread
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. board — to get on

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