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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. field — farmland
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. field — for sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rash — hasty
  9. current — electric
  10. season — in sport
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. firm — a company
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. land — a country
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. firm — decided
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. field — a subject
  24. plane — a tool

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