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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · kick · scale · field · chair · fan · current · lean

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. scale — in music
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — farmland
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — thin
  20. current — electric
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chair — a professorship
  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