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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. craft — a skill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — a line
  8. current — electric
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — hasty
  15. current — happening now
  16. rush — hurry
  17. field — for sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. row — to paddle
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rash — a series

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