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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 116 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 · track · club · field · mate · pound · race · rush

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rush — hurry
  3. race — the arms race
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. pound — a weight
  8. race — humankind
  9. current — of water
  10. club — a group
  11. current — electric
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. track — a song
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — happening now
  17. club — for golf
  18. track — a path
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mate — a friend
  22. club — for dancing
  23. race — a contest
  24. mate — a partner

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