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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — of water
  4. field — for sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — farmland
  9. club — a group
  10. current — happening now
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — a cup
  14. net — in sport
  15. current — electric
  16. club — for golf
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — after costs
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — the season
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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