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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — happening now
  3. field — for sport
  4. pit — in a race
  5. net — for catching
  6. firm — a company
  7. current — of water
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. kid — child
  11. current — electric
  12. field — farmland
  13. bank — for money
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bank — of a river
  17. firm — steady
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bank — for money
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. firm — decided
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — an explosive

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