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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. field — a subject
  4. current — electric
  5. drill — army training
  6. fine — high quality
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bear — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. current — of water

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