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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. field — for sport
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — electric
  7. pit — in a race
  8. drill — army training
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. drill — a practice
  12. field — a subject
  13. pit — a hole
  14. current — happening now
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. current — of water
  21. march — the month
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — a tight spot

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