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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. court — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chip — for betting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. court — of a king
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. hand — help
  22. present — the time now
  23. current — of water
  24. date — the fruit

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