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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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. branch — of a tree
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — final
  8. date — the fruit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. court — for sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. current — electric
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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