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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rule — a law
  6. current — electric
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — happening now
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — government
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fine — high quality

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