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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — electric
  7. march — the month
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — happening now
  11. lean — thin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — letters
  22. march — music
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — after costs

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