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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: current · scale · race · mark · cap · pitcher · field · press

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mark — a trace
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. cap — a hat
  15. scale — in music
  16. field — a subject
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. race — humankind
  20. press — newspapers
  21. race — a contest
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — a publisher

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