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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. file — a tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. file — a document
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. current — electric
  24. lean — thin

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