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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. file — a tool
  3. content — happy
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — the amount
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. file — a document
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. current — of water
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. current — electric
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mark — a trace
  24. arm — part of the body

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