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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — of water
  5. race — humankind
  6. court — of law
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. present — a gift
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. present — there
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rule — a law
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — of a king
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. court — for sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. rule — government
  23. current — electric
  24. rule — to rule out

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