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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to bend
  6. field — farmland
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — electric
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lean — thin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. press — a publisher
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — to push
  24. field — a subject

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