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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. field — a subject
  5. current — of water
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stand — to bear
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. prune — to trim
  15. field — farmland
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — for sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — happening now

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