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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pit — a hole
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a tool
  8. current — of water
  9. row — to paddle
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a line
  12. suit — clothes
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. suit — in cards
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. current — happening now
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a quarrel

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