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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — electric
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — steady
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. march — the month
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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