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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. file — a document
  12. pop — to visit
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. current — of water
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. net — in sport

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