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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 116 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: pass · rash · saw · ball · current · wake · field · lie

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. current — of water
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. field — farmland
  22. pass — a permit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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