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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spell — a short time
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. press — to push
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. face — part of the head
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — to point toward
  10. craft — a skill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spell — letters
  16. craft — boats
  17. current — electric
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. press — a publisher
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. face — to confront
  23. band — a ring
  24. current — of water

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