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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: foot · rash · mate · wind · march · arm · current · face

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. current — of water
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. current — happening now
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — music
  14. current — electric
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rash — a series
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mate — to breed
  19. face — to point toward
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. march — the month

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