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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. pop — music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pop — to visit
  12. board — a committee
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pop — soda
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — to get on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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