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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. season — of the year
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — in sport
  8. chest — a box
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — a country
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. roll — a list
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — after costs
  20. current — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chest — of your body

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