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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: march · current · cap · bowl · rash · last · field · foot

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. last — final
  3. field — farmland
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — finally
  6. current — of water
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. current — happening now
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. march — music
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — for sport
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. march — the month

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