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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. current — happening now
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stand — to bear
  9. field — for sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. field — farmland
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. current — of water
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — to come down
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — a country

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