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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. current — electric
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. current — of water
  10. mate — a partner
  11. field — for sport
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — money
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mate — to breed
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — a country
  19. capital — a city
  20. field — farmland
  21. current — happening now
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mate — a friend

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