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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — farmland
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fall — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — electric
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — crushed
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. field — for sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ground — a position
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — of water
  21. pass — a permit
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — the earth
  24. last — final

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