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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. field — for sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. current — happening now
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — of water
  14. roll — a cake
  15. march — the month
  16. field — a subject
  17. current — electric
  18. row — a line
  19. roll — a list
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. field — farmland
  24. march — the month

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