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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — for sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — a path
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. spell — letters
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — electric
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — to keep track
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. track — a song
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — of water

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