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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. current — of water
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a tool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — the month
  14. file — a document
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. current — electric
  23. pass — a permit
  24. net — for catching

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