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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. net — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. current — electric
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. field — farmland
  9. current — of water
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — for catching
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — all right
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — happening now
  24. rush — hurry

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