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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. current — electric
  8. drill — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — army training
  11. current — happening now
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. field — farmland
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — of water
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. rush — hurry
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. land — a country
  24. field — a subject

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