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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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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: snap · file · current · toast · saw · bay · date · club

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. current — of water
  4. club — for dancing
  5. file — a tool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. current — electric
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. club — for golf
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. toast — bread
  22. club — a group
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. file — a document

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