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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. row — to paddle
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. kid — child
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. drill — the tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ground — crushed
  15. drill — army training
  16. rush — hurry
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — to tease
  20. field — farmland
  21. ground — a position
  22. drill — a practice
  23. current — of water
  24. field — a subject

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