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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. current — electric
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. file — a document
  5. cue — for pool
  6. track — a song
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. current — happening now
  14. toast — bread
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a tool
  17. track — a path
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pit — a hole
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cue — a signal

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