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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. field — farmland
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. court — of a king
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cap — a lid
  10. craft — boats
  11. field — for sport
  12. firm — steady
  13. court — for sport
  14. current — of water
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cap — a hat
  17. current — happening now
  18. cap — of ice
  19. field — a subject
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. court — of law
  22. craft — a skill
  23. scale — in music
  24. firm — a company

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