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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — electric
  3. face — to confront
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cold — not warm
  6. field — farmland
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. current — happening now
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. current — of water
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cold — the Cold War

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