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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — electric
  8. swing — music
  9. field — a subject
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — happening now
  13. key — in music
  14. field — for sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. current — of water
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — after costs
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fall — to drop

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