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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — for a lock
  6. march — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. charge — electricity
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — a price
  19. date — the fruit
  20. key — in music
  21. current — happening now
  22. charge — in control
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. current — electric

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