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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. current — happening now
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — obliged
  5. file — a tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. file — a line of people
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bound — tied together
  14. roll — a list
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — electric

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