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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: roll · face · toast · perch · march · file · bound · current

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. face — to point toward
  10. current — of water
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. toast — bread
  16. current — happening now
  17. face — part of the head
  18. file — a document
  19. current — electric
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — to confront
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. file — a tool

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