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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: current · mine · field · stock · date · march · rash · toast

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — farmland
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. current — happening now
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — shares
  11. field — a subject
  12. rash — a series
  13. mine — for digging
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. field — for sport
  19. march — the month
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — a soup base

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