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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 · land · saw · field · jam · ball · clip · bay

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. current — of water
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — electric
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. land — to come down
  10. field — a subject
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. current — happening now
  14. clip — a video
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. field — for sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. land — ground

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