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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. current — happening now
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. current — of water
  13. cell — in biology
  14. game — a match
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cell — a phone
  21. current — electric
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — with your hand

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