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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. present — there
  3. march — music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. suit — to fit
  9. march — the month
  10. last — finally
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. last — to go on
  17. present — a gift
  18. current — electric
  19. present — the time now
  20. suit — in cards
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — final

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