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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — rain
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bound — certain
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cap — a hat
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. scale — in music

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