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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — to breed
  4. current — of water
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. current — happening now
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — in a road
  10. field — farmland
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. current — electric
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — a break
  24. field — for sport

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