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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. present — a gift
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mark — a grade
  8. march — music
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. present — the time now
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — happening now
  17. present — there
  18. cold — not warm
  19. current — electric
  20. cold — an illness
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. current — of water
  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