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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: field · current · jam · date · key · ground · mine · foot

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. field — farmland
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. current — of water
  5. mine — for digging
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ground — the earth
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — for sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. key — in music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — a position
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — electric
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. key — the most important part
  24. date — the fruit

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