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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. firm — steady
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. craft — boats
  9. current — electric
  10. rule — a law
  11. cell — a phone
  12. firm — decided
  13. field — a subject
  14. current — of water
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rule — government
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. current — happening now
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. firm — a company
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a dance

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