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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 · lean · jam · pass · tube · march · squash · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. game — a match
  13. lean — thin
  14. march — the month
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — a permit
  18. squash — to crush
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. tube — the underground
  22. march — music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tube — a container

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