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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pit — in a race
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. can — to be able to
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pit — a hole
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. can — a tin
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — happening now
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — a series
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. game — a match
  24. deal — to handle

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