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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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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. field — for sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. field — farmland
  6. march — music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — the month
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. mark — a grade
  14. current — electric
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mark — a trace
  18. row — a line
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — a subject
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — the month
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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