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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — the fish
  12. game — a match
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. bass — low music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. row — a line
  24. current — of water

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