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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. current — of water
  7. clip — a video
  8. field — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — a subject
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chip — to eat
  14. march — the month
  15. current — happening now
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pass — a permit
  21. march — the month
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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