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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stand — to bear
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to point toward
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. court — of a king
  10. face — to confront
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. court — for sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. field — for sport
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mark — a trace
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. can — a tin
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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