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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — an injury
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — in sport
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. current — of water
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — the fruit
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. current — happening now
  20. staff — employees
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — a stick

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