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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. key — for a lock
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. current — of water
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cold — an illness
  9. field — farmland
  10. tube — a container
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — not warm
  13. present — a gift
  14. key — the most important part
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — a subject
  17. tube — the underground
  18. key — in music
  19. present — there
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. field — for sport

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