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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — after costs
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — of water
  6. pass — a permit
  7. tear — to rip
  8. current — electric
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. tear — from crying
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. date — the fruit
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. current — happening now

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