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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. suit — in cards
  3. current — of water
  4. field — farmland
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. field — a subject
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. suit — clothes
  13. current — electric
  14. roll — a list
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. suit — to fit
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — moving air

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