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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. field — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — the fish
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — low music
  12. track — a song
  13. craft — boats
  14. current — electric
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — soda
  17. field — a subject
  18. pop — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. current — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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