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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
468
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: race · field · current · wave · pitcher · track · capital · arm

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — a subject
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — for sport
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. current — electric
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — a song
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. field — farmland
  19. race — the arms race
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. race — humankind
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. current — happening now

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