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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: rash · content · current · row · march · swing · net · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. march — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. current — of water
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — the amount
  7. current — happening now
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. swing — in golf
  10. current — electric
  11. row — a line
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. net — in sport
  16. march — the month
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. swing — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rash — hasty
  23. content — happy
  24. sharp — clever

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