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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. suit — clothes
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. suit — in cards
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. current — happening now
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. row — to paddle
  21. current — of water
  22. wake — a trail
  23. row — a line
  24. hide — animal skin

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