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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · march · bat · mate · swing · mine · current · stick

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — the animal
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. current — electric
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mine — for digging
  15. march — music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rash — a series
  21. current — happening now
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bat — for baseball

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