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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. net — for catching
  6. key — in music
  7. spring — of water
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — for sport
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. field — farmland
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — a subject
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. current — happening now

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