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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. net — after costs
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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