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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lie — to recline
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. clip — a video
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — of water
  10. bass — low music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. board — a committee
  15. current — happening now
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — for paper
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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