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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spell — letters
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — magic
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — a weight
  21. current — of water
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. current — electric

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