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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. last — finally
  3. track — a song
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. current — happening now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. march — the month
  19. track — a path
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. scale — size or range
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. track — to keep track

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