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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — of water
  7. last — finally
  8. degree — from a university
  9. current — happening now
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. field — for sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. field — a subject
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bank — of a river
  20. field — farmland
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — electric

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