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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — farmland
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. race — humankind
  14. mark — a grade
  15. current — of water
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mark — a trace
  20. race — a contest
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — for sport

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