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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. field — for sport
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — a subject
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cold — an illness
  23. field — farmland
  24. cold — not warm

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