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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hand — in cards
  3. present — a gift
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. present — there
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mate — a partner
  14. current — happening now
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. toast — bread
  18. current — electric
  19. hand — help
  20. current — of water
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. leaves — lets stay

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