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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. foot — a measure
  3. file — a line of people
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — of water
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — a video
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — rain
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. band — a ring
  13. current — electric
  14. file — a tool
  15. snap — to click
  16. file — a document
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — happening now
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. band — a music group
  24. clip — to cut

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