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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. file — a tool
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — thin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pop — to visit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — a hat
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. current — electric
  15. pop — soda
  16. file — a document
  17. current — of water
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — happening now
  20. clip — a video
  21. field — farmland
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pop — music

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