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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a document
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. roll — a list
  8. row — a line
  9. march — music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cap — a hat
  12. row — to paddle
  13. current — of water
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cap — a lid
  16. march — the month
  17. present — there
  18. cap — of ice
  19. present — a gift
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. file — a tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a line of people
  24. present — the time now

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