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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — crushed
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — farmland
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. field — for sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wax — to grow
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — the earth
  13. current — happening now
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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