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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. current — electric
  3. tear — to rip
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — happening now
  10. field — for sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — moving air
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — the amount
  21. field — farmland
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — of water
  24. tear — from crying

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