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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — of water
  3. rock — music
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. drill — army training
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — for weighing

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