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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a partner
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. current — electric
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — music
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — to breed
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. current — happening now
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. mate — a friend
  22. track — to keep track
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a music group

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