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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. current — electric
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. current — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — from a university
  9. field — for sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — a subject
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. lie — to recline
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mate — a partner
  23. land — to come down
  24. mate — a friend

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