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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. club — for golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — electric
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a tool
  9. rule — a law
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. club — for dancing
  12. file — a document
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. current — of water
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. staff — a stick

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