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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. last — finally
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — of water
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — the tool
  22. last — final
  23. current — electric
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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