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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
468
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 · ball · wind · ground · track · bay · pass · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pass — a permit
  11. march — music
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. current — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — a path
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. current — happening now
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — the earth
  21. current — electric
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — crushed

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