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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. field — farmland
  5. stand — to bear
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. row — a line
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. current — electric
  13. net — for catching
  14. row — to paddle
  15. roll — a list
  16. field — for sport
  17. bore — to tire
  18. current — happening now
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stand — for spectators

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