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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. file — a document
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. object — to protest
  12. file — a line of people
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. bear — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. object — a thing
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. current — happening now
  24. object — an aim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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