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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: field · clip · spell · racket · march · mate · stand · current

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — farmland
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mate — a friend
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — the month
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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