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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. current — electric
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lean — thin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. face — to confront
  12. land — to come down
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. date — the fruit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — exactly

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