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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. current — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — electric
  12. mug — to rob
  13. field — farmland
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — a subject
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mate — a partner
  20. game — a match
  21. mug — a face
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — wild animals

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