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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. bank — for money
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. field — farmland
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — of water
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bank — for money

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