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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. field — for sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — clever
  6. object — an aim
  7. board — a committee
  8. mine — for digging
  9. current — happening now
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — certain
  14. object — to protest
  15. board — to get on
  16. field — farmland
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. current — of water
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. field — a subject
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — belonging to me

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