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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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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: land · lie · degree · hide · march · current · present · can

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — a country
  6. lie — to recline
  7. present — there
  8. current — electric
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. present — a gift
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — to come down
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — temperature
  21. current — of water
  22. land — ground
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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