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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bound — obliged
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — certain
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. file — a tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — a series
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — tied together
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. current — of water

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