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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mark — a trace
  5. current — electric
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — to bend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — a path
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. season — in sport
  13. capital — money
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. field — a subject
  18. track — a song
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — thin
  22. current — happening now
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — to add flavour

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