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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 124 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. current — happening now
  4. pit — in a race
  5. snap — to click
  6. pit — a hole
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the fish
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bass — low music
  17. lean — thin
  18. band — a music group
  19. current — of water
  20. field — farmland
  21. band — a ring
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rest — a break
  24. lean — to bend

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