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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: season · clip · current · march · firm · arm · ball · key

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — happening now
  4. ball — a dance
  5. march — the month
  6. key — the most important part
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. current — of water
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. firm — a company
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. key — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. ball — a great time
  18. firm — decided
  19. season — in sport
  20. firm — steady
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ball — a round shape

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