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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — of water
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a document
  10. current — happening now
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — for sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — in sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mug — a cup

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