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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. field — a subject
  8. bound — certain
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bound — tied together
  14. track — a path
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. track — a song
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. current — electric
  24. nail — for a hammer

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