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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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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — a match
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. field — for sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. current — happening now
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wind — moving air
  12. present — the time now
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — of water
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. field — farmland
  20. present — there
  21. field — a subject
  22. wound — an injury
  23. present — a gift
  24. game — a kind of play

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