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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · current · racket · field · date · bass · wind · file

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — of water
  8. field — farmland
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — happening now
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — a subject
  23. bass — low music
  24. file — a document

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