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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. mine — an explosive
  3. current — of water
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. current — electric
  11. staff — a stick
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a song
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — a match
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a path
  23. staff — employees
  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