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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. field — for sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. row — a line
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — happening now
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — a committee
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — a hat
  18. current — of water
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — a series
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. current — electric
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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