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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bat — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rush — hurry
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. current — of water
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. current — happening now
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fine — all right
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a tool
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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