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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. current — electric
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — of water
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — for pool
  19. current — happening now
  20. ground — crushed
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spring — the season

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