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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. current — happening now
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. firm — steady
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. firm — decided
  11. board — a committee
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. firm — a company
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. current — electric
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. board — to get on

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