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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: current · rash · field · mark · file · row · hand · toast

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. file — a line of people
  3. field — farmland
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — of water
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — electric
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — a line
  19. toast — bread
  20. field — a subject
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. row — to paddle
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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