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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — farmland
  4. spell — letters
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. staff — employees
  7. toast — bread
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. band — a ring
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — magic
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. staff — a stick
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rock — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a music group
  22. ground — crushed
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. staff — employees

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