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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bear — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. current — happening now
  13. rule — a law
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rule — government
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — not warm
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cold — the Cold War

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