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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. current — electric
  3. field — farmland
  4. suit — clothes
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. current — happening now
  8. suit — to fit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chip — for betting
  12. suit — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. degree — from a university
  16. capital — money
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. capital — a city
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. racket — for tennis

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