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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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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 · cabinet · rest · field · current · pit · cell · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — farmland
  3. current — happening now
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. pit — a hole
  11. race — a contest
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — electric
  15. field — for sport
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. current — of water
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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