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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. current — of water
  3. face — part of the head
  4. current — electric
  5. face — to point toward
  6. deal — to handle
  7. club — for dancing
  8. file — a document
  9. bulb — for light
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — to confront
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. current — happening now
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — a group

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