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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: current · squash · chip · file · season · date · bound · present

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. squash — the sport
  4. present — there
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bound — obliged
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chip — to eat
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a document
  15. present — the time now
  16. bound — certain
  17. current — electric
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bound — tied together
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. file — a tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. current — happening now
  24. chip — for betting

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