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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 120 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: cap · mate · current · row · rash · march · net · land

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. march — the month
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mate — a friend
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — a hat
  7. current — happening now
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — to breed
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — of ice
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a line
  23. rash — a series
  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