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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. last — final
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — a path
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. current — of water
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. toast — bread
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. foot — a measure
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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