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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — for sport
  12. current — electric
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — a match
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — of water
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. charge — electricity
  24. field — farmland

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