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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 120 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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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: snap · field · chair · mark · ball · nail · ground · current

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. current — of water
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chair — a leader
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — happening now
  7. ground — crushed
  8. snap — to click
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ground — a position
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — farmland
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. field — a subject
  21. current — electric
  22. mark — a grade
  23. field — for sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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