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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. field — a subject
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. current — of water
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bass — low music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bat — the animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. current — electric

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