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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. current — of water
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rash — a series
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — a permit
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. march — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a music group
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. band — a rubber band

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