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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. march — the month
  4. season — in sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. current — electric
  7. chest — of your body
  8. march — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chest — a box
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. current — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — of the year
  18. land — ground
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — a country

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