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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. field — a subject
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. current — electric
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mark — a grade
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mark — a trace
  23. current — happening now
  24. rock — a stone

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