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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. current — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — electric
  5. field — a subject
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — there
  10. current — happening now
  11. shower — rain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cell — in biology
  14. present — the time now
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. cell — a phone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. present — a gift
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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