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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. current — happening now
  3. mate — to breed
  4. current — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — a partner
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. current — electric
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. field — farmland
  21. net — after costs
  22. field — a subject
  23. fork — in a road
  24. net — in 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