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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: current · press · stick · coach · plane · mate · fine · march

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fine — high quality
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — to push
  8. march — the month
  9. current — of water
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. press — a publisher
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — electric
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — newspapers
  23. march — music
  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