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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. date — the fruit
  4. last — to go on
  5. current — happening now
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wake — a trail
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. current — of water
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. root — of a word
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cell — a phone

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