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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bark — to shout
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — to sink
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — farmland
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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