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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
468
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: deal · present · march · land · bark · last · current · toast

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. march — music
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. present — the time now
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — to shout
  9. land — ground
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — the month
  13. current — happening now
  14. deal — to handle
  15. march — the month
  16. current — electric
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. current — of water
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. present — there
  24. land — to come down

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