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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. pop — soda
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — a container
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. current — electric
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chest — a box
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — in cards
  21. current — happening now
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pop — music
  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