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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. march — music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. march — the month
  5. current — electric
  6. pound — a weight
  7. current — of water
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — farmland
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. field — a subject
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to click
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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