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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: race · current · hide · march · scale · toast · bank · swing

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. current — of water
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. march — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. race — humankind
  14. bank — for money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. current — electric
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — to play on
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. scale — in music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. toast — bread
  24. bank — of a river

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