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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. date — the fruit
  6. current — electric
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. current — happening now
  11. spell — magic
  12. row — a line
  13. spell — a short time
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stock — goods
  16. current — of water
  17. row — to paddle
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — shares
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. spell — letters
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — a soup base

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