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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · last · band · pop · current · mouse · mate · rash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a ring
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. last — final
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a music group
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — finally
  22. march — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — hasty

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