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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. current — of water
  3. mug — a face
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mug — a cup
  8. current — electric
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — for sport
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pop — soda
  23. bass — low music
  24. field — a subject

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