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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 · bass · jam · season · current · fall · toast · safe

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. toast — bread
  3. season — of the year
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bass — low music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bass — the fish
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — in sport
  17. fall — the season
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — to drop
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. date — the fruit

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