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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — crushed
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ground — a position
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spell — magic
  11. file — a tool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — happening now
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — the tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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