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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. current — of water
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fine — high quality
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. squash — the sport
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — happening now
  19. rash — a series
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. current — electric
  24. dip — to sink

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