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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. current — of water
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wound — an injury
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. current — electric
  24. date — on the calendar

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