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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — rain
  4. clip — to cut
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — the most important part
  7. court — of law
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. shower — to wash
  10. key — in music
  11. field — for sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. key — for a lock
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — a video
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. court — for sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. field — farmland
  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