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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · coach · band · content · toast · current · rule · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — of water
  4. march — music
  5. rule — a law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a music group
  8. current — electric
  9. rule — government
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. toast — bread
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. content — happy
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. content — the amount
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — the month
  23. current — happening now
  24. shower — to wash

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