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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — after costs
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bound — obliged
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. field — for sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — humankind
  14. current — of water
  15. row — a line
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bound — certain
  18. net — for catching
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — to bear
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bound — tied together
  24. race — a contest

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