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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. dip — to sink
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. current — of water
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. file — a document
  12. cell — a phone
  13. file — a tool
  14. current — electric
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — happening now
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ruler — a monarch

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