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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. current — electric
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bound — tied together
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. field — for sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — farmland
  16. mine — for digging
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — the instrument

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