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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — to grow
  3. current — happening now
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. suit — in cards
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — to bear
  16. game — a match
  17. clip — to cut
  18. field — farmland
  19. deal — to handle
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. field — for sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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