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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fine — all right
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. current — happening now
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — electric
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a line of people
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — of water
  15. game — wild animals
  16. file — a document
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. file — a tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — high quality

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