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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. march — the month
  3. mark — a grade
  4. current — electric
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — a series
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — music
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mark — a trace
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rash — hasty
  23. swing — music
  24. march — the month

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