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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — in a road
  4. roll — a list
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. capital — money
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. capital — a city
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. march — music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. current — electric

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