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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — of water
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — happening now
  7. ball — a dance
  8. firm — a company
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bank — of a river
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. pound — a weight
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. current — electric

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