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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. current — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. face — part of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — electric
  14. face — to point toward
  15. field — a subject
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. saw — the tool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — a straw man
  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