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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. march — music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. march — the month
  9. last — to go on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. branch — a division
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. current — of water
  18. last — final
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chest — a box
  21. last — finally
  22. current — electric
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. straw — dry grass

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