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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mate — to breed
  3. field — a subject
  4. cap — a lid
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — a song
  10. field — farmland
  11. current — of water
  12. mate — a friend
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — clever
  15. field — for sport
  16. mate — a partner
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a document
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a path
  24. cap — of ice

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