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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. march — the month
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — electric
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — finally
  15. board — to get on
  16. face — to confront
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — a committee
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. current — happening now
  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