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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — to shout
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. current — happening now
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. march — music
  13. swing — music
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — in golf
  16. kick — in football
  17. scale — in music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — size or range
  21. current — electric
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. arm — a part of something

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