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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. clip — to cut
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cold — not warm
  18. can — to be able to
  19. current — happening now
  20. pound — a weight
  21. suit — to fit
  22. can — a tin
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bowl — to roll

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