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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · last · kick · snap · field · scale · current · present

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — a gift
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. present — the time now
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — there
  12. current — of water
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — in music
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — final
  24. kick — in football

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