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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — a subject
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — thin
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — to bend
  7. court — of a king
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. current — happening now
  11. field — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. current — electric
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. key — the most important part
  20. capital — money
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to rest against

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