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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
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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: march · fine · row · sharp · fan · leaves · safe · current

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. row — to paddle
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. current — happening now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — a line
  12. current — electric
  13. march — music
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — all right
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — high quality
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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