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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. last — finally
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — music
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. last — final
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — certain
  17. march — the month
  18. present — there
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. board — a committee
  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