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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — to bend
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a line
  8. current — electric
  9. row — to paddle
  10. march — the month
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. charge — in control
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — happening now
  15. bark — to shout
  16. march — music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lean — thin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. charge — electricity

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