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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: march · squash · current · firm · club · leaves · ground · race

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. squash — the sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. firm — a company
  6. ground — the earth
  7. race — a contest
  8. firm — steady
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — music
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. race — the arms race
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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