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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. current — of water
  4. field — farmland
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — newspapers
  8. current — happening now
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — to keep track
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. fine — all right
  15. band — a ring
  16. perch — the fish
  17. current — electric
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — for sport
  20. pass — a permit
  21. press — to push
  22. field — a subject
  23. fine — high quality
  24. press — a publisher

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