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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. current — happening now
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. key — in music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. key — for a lock
  11. field — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — a stone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. field — a subject
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. current — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of a king
  23. squash — the sport
  24. key — the most important part

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