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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. present — there
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — the time now
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — farmland
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. present — a gift
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pass — a permit
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — electric
  24. ruler — for measuring

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