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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kid — child
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. current — of water
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. field — a subject
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rush — hurry
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — in a race
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. field — for sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. current — happening now
  23. face — to point toward
  24. current — electric

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