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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — hurry
  4. field — for sport
  5. land — a country
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — a line
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pit — in a race
  12. land — ground
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — electric
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — farmland
  20. land — to come down
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cell — a phone
  23. craft — boats
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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