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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 116 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: march · ruler · bass · kid · cap · rest · current · pop

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. march — music
  3. current — electric
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. current — happening now
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kid — child
  21. rest — a break
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pop — music
  24. bass — low music

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