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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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. jam — to spread on bread
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. current — electric
  8. clip — for paper
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — the fruit
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. snap — to click
  15. pit — a hole
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. current — of water
  19. pit — in a race
  20. shower — to wash
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. clip — a video

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