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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · rule · tear · can · mate · date · current · net

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. can — a tin
  3. rule — a law
  4. current — electric
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rule — government
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — to be able to
  9. object — a thing
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — to protest
  16. can — a tin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — in sport
  20. current — of water
  21. mate — a friend
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — happening now

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