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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 124 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. current — of water
  3. tube — the underground
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. current — electric
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a document
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cue — a signal
  15. field — a subject
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. roll — a list
  18. field — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cue — a hint
  21. file — a tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. field — farmland
  24. cue — for pool

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