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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. march — music
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fork — in a road
  8. current — happening now
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — of water
  24. date — on the calendar

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