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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: drill · last · jam · pit · field · kid · current · rest

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. current — happening now
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — farmland
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pit — a hole
  9. last — final
  10. kid — child
  11. last — to go on
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — to tease
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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