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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. present — a gift
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. foot — a measure
  6. current — happening now
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. present — there
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — a trail
  19. current — of water
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — the time now
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mine — for digging

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