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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. current — of water
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — obliged
  10. row — to paddle
  11. dip — to sink
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — music
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — soda
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bound — certain
  22. field — a subject
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pop — to visit

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