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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. file — a document
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. object — an aim
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. current — electric
  8. dip — to sink
  9. file — a tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. current — of water
  14. fall — the season
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. object — to protest
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a line
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. row — to paddle

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