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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. field — farmland
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. current — happening now
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. charge — electricity
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. row — a line
  14. fork — in a road
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — a price
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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