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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mate — a partner
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — to go on
  10. squash — to crush
  11. field — for sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. last — final
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — a stone
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rock — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — finally
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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