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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. field — a subject
  5. current — electric
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — for sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fine — all right
  17. spell — magic
  18. fork — in a road
  19. field — farmland
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. current — of water
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spell — letters
  24. mine — belonging to me

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