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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 · last · mark · object · march · sharp · press · net

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. net — after costs
  3. press — newspapers
  4. march — the month
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — happening now
  7. press — a publisher
  8. object — a thing
  9. current — of water
  10. march — music
  11. last — finally
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. press — to push
  16. sharp — clever
  17. object — to protest
  18. mark — a grade
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — the month
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. current — electric

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