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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.

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: last · mark · ground · current · march · leaves · staff · net

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. current — of water
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ground — crushed
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — for catching
  8. last — final
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. last — finally
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — in sport
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — after costs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — happening now

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