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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cell — a phone
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — electric
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. current — happening now
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. current — of water
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. file — a document
  18. pop — music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. file — a tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. safe — out of danger

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