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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pit — a hole
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bound — certain
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. track — a path
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. rush — hurry
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — for sport
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pit — in a race
  19. track — a song
  20. last — finally
  21. current — of water
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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