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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. track — to keep track
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. court — for sport
  7. current — electric
  8. court — of a king
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. track — a song
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — music
  14. court — of law
  15. track — a path
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — a division
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. sharp — clever

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