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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cabinet · current · toast · pop · shower · file · kid · date

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. kid — child
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pop — soda
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — music
  13. current — electric
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. toast — bread
  18. file — a tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pop — to visit

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