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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. march — the month
  4. last — final
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — music
  11. board — to get on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. current — electric
  14. dip — to sink
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. ground — a position
  19. board — a committee
  20. current — happening now
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rash — a series

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