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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · march · last · field · spell · pop · current · land

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. last — final
  5. field — for sport
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — soda
  11. last — to go on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — the month
  14. last — finally
  15. land — to come down
  16. current — electric
  17. field — farmland
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. current — of water
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. spell — a short time
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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