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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cue — a signal
  6. land — a country
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. craft — boats
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. land — ground
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rash — hasty
  18. current — of water
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — a phone
  22. land — to come down
  23. craft — a skill
  24. file — a document

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