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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. current — happening now
  4. date — the fruit
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. file — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. current — electric
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rest — a break
  24. hand — help

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