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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. current — of water
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — farmland
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rash — a series
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — rain
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — to wash
  23. field — a subject
  24. current — happening now

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