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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rest — what's left
  3. snap — to click
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — soda
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. file — a document
  19. face — part of the head
  20. current — electric
  21. pop — music
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a tool
  24. face — to point toward

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