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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. present — there
  3. bass — low music
  4. present — the time now
  5. bass — the fish
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — in music
  8. field — farmland
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. last — to go on
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. current — electric
  16. last — finally
  17. current — of water
  18. present — a gift
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. scale — for weighing

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