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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. current — electric
  4. toast — bread
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. field — a subject
  7. track — a path
  8. land — ground
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — to come down
  12. current — of water
  13. field — for sport
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. track — to keep track
  18. shower — rain
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — happening now
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — a country
  24. track — a song

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