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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 124 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. swing — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. track — a song
  8. swing — to play on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — money
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — to keep track
  20. field — farmland
  21. capital — a city
  22. field — for sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — in golf

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