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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. current — of water
  5. band — a ring
  6. present — there
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. date — the fruit
  11. current — happening now
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — the time now
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — a gift
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — the season
  20. sharp — clever
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fall — to drop

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