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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: current · rash · march · row · mate · ground · bowl · foot

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. ground — a position
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — hasty
  5. current — happening now
  6. ground — the earth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mate — a partner
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — electric
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a line
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mate — to breed
  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