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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a document
  5. pop — music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a line of people
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — happening now
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pop — soda
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — hasty
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — to visit

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