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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. key — for a lock
  8. current — electric
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — obliged
  12. date — the fruit
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. lean — thin
  18. bound — certain
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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