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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: clip · wake · bound · bass · current · date · sharp · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. date — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. clip — a video
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. date — on the calendar

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