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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — a subject
  11. charge — a price
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. current — electric
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. charge — electricity
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fine — all right
  23. charge — in control
  24. foot — the bottom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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