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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. field — a subject
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. field — farmland
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — for sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — happening now
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chair — a professorship

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