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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 116 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. board — a committee
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — to paddle
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — electric
  7. field — a subject
  8. row — a line
  9. pit — in a race
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. current — of water
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a hole
  17. band — a ring
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. field — farmland
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — to get on
  24. band — a music group

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