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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bound — obliged
  4. field — for sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — certain
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. content — the amount
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stock — goods
  19. tube — a container
  20. current — happening now
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — farmland
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — the underground

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