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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — electric
  5. scale — size or range
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. board — to get on
  15. current — of water
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. board — a committee
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. field — farmland
  21. current — happening now
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. chair — a leader

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