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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — for sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — boats
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — farmland
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. current — electric
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. current — happening now
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — a subject
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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