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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: chair · current · track · march · arm · rest · rash · fall

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — a song
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. march — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. current — happening now
  13. fall — the season
  14. current — electric
  15. rash — a series
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — a leader
  20. march — the month
  21. track — a path
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. current — of water
  24. rash — on the skin

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