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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. squash — the sport
  11. plane — a tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. march — the month
  16. date — the fruit
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. date — on the calendar

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