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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — part of the head
  4. field — a subject
  5. cue — for pool
  6. current — electric
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spell — magic
  14. face — to confront
  15. current — of water
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — happening now
  24. field — for sport

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