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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — not warm
  6. current — of water
  7. root — the cause
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — happy
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. root — of a word
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — electric
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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