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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 · cap · cold · toast · fall · march · present · drill

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. present — the time now
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fall — the season
  7. current — electric
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — the month
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cap — a hat
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cap — a lid
  15. current — happening now
  16. toast — bread
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — not warm
  19. march — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — a gift
  22. fall — to drop
  23. present — there
  24. current — of water

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