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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. current — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. pound — a weight
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. file — a document
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — moving air
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fine — all right
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. pound — to hit hard

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