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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. charge — a price
  8. tube — the underground
  9. current — of water
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. charge — electricity
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rest — a break
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — what's left
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — for baseball

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