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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: pass · field · wind · net · mark · land · chair · current

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. current — electric
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — a country
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — a subject
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chair — a leader
  16. current — happening now
  17. pass — a permit
  18. land — ground
  19. current — of water
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mark — a trace
  24. net — after costs

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