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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 · court · field · date · bore · pitcher · bound · rash

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — of water
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. field — farmland
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. date — the fruit
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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