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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: snap · land · field · ground · game · current · toast · plane

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. game — a match
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. current — happening now
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ground — a position
  12. plane — a tool
  13. current — electric
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. land — ground
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. snap — to click
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. current — of water

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