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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a line of people
  3. current — of water
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a document
  7. cold — not warm
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bank — for money
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bank — for money
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. file — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. bank — of a river

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