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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spell — a short time
  3. current — of water
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. content — happy
  9. current — happening now
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chip — to eat
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. spell — letters
  17. current — electric
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. spell — magic
  22. content — the amount
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chip — for betting

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