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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. current — happening now
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. last — final
  7. cue — for pool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — the month
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cue — a signal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — electric
  19. march — music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. current — of water

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