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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: date · current · chest · foot · leaves · last · deal · suit

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. suit — to fit
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. deal — to handle
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — of water
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. date — the fruit
  12. current — happening now
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. last — final
  15. foot — a measure
  16. suit — clothes
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. last — finally
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. chest — a box
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. last — to go on
  24. leaves — lets stay

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