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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bore — to drill
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. current — happening now
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cold — an illness
  13. file — a document
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — thin
  17. craft — boats
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mug — a face
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — not warm
  22. current — electric
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — the Cold War

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