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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 120 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: game · bark · march · current · saw · mug · ball · hide

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. march — the month
  5. current — happening now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — to shout
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. game — a match
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. march — the month
  23. current — of water
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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