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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. current — of water
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — to bear
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. current — electric
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cell — in biology
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. track — to keep track
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — a path
  22. game — a match
  23. march — the month
  24. plane — a tool

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