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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — for sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — of law
  13. mug — a face
  14. current — of water
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. field — a subject
  19. current — electric
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. current — happening now
  23. court — of a king
  24. bat — the animal

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