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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. current — happening now
  6. drill — a practice
  7. current — of water
  8. drill — army training
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. object — a thing
  13. field — farmland
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cell — a phone
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — electric
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tear — from crying

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