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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. current — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — the season
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — of water
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. squash — the sport
  14. current — electric
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. roll — a cake
  20. current — happening now
  21. roll — a list
  22. suit — in cards
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. suit — to fit

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