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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. stock — goods
  5. face — to confront
  6. current — of water
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. file — a tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. current — electric
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stock — shares
  21. current — happening now
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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