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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. content — happy
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — happening now
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. current — electric
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — a thing
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. object — an aim
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. current — of water
  18. wake — a trail
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — for sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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