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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 · hand · firm · last · game · march · stick · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. march — music
  5. current — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — electric
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mate — a friend
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hand — help
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — in cards

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