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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — farmland
  4. hand — help
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — electric
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stock — goods
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. current — happening now

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